Alma Har’el, the director of Shia LaBeouf’s movie “Honey Boy,” has publicly lent her supported to his former girlfriend, FKA Twigs, who accused him of sexual assault and emotional abuse last week.
“I have a deep respect for FKA Twigs’ courage and resilience. Reading what she endured left me heartbroken and I stand with her in solidarity. I’m sending my love to her, Karolyn Pho, all victims of domestic violence, and everyone who is trying to stop cycles of abuse,” Har’el’s statement obtained by Variety reads in part.
Musician FKA Twigs, real name Tahliah Barnett, filed suit against her LaBeouf, accusing him of abusing her “physically, mentally and emotionally” during their year-long relationship, which began in 2018 and ended in 2019.
In the civil lawsuit, Barnett alleges LaBeouf choked her and threw her against a car while screaming at her. She went on to detail several other incidences of abuse.
LaBeouf released a statement following Barnett’s filing, blaming his behavior on alcoholism: “I have no excuses for my alcoholism or aggression, only rationalizations. I have been abusive to myself and everyone around me for years. I have a history of hurting the people closest to me. I’m ashamed of that history and am sorry to those I hurt. There is nothing else I can really say,” he wrote in an email to The New York Times.
Har’el’s statement continued: “As a filmmaker and an artist, I am drawn to stories that help us develop empathy for the messy parts of the human condition. Like many of Shia’s collaborators and fans who battled substance abuse, suffered childhood trauma, and face mental illness, I am painfully aware of my past investment in his recovery. I want to send a clear message today that none of the above should excuse, minimize, or rationalize domestic violence.
“I’m grateful that survivors of childhood trauma have seen some aspects of themselves in Honey Boy and might feel less alone in their pain. I hope that they don’t take these events as a discouraging moment in their own recovery.”
She concluded her statement by adding that she would be donating in Twigs’ and Karolyn Pho’s names to FreeFrom, the National Domestic Violence Hotline, and Sistah Space.
She urged all victims of abuse to speak out.
